Contents:
- Medical Video: Gestational Diabetes: Managing Risk During and After Pregnancy Video - Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Control blood sugar levels in pregnant women with gestational diabetes
- Exercise
- Check blood sugar levels
- Meal planning
- Meal planning for pregnant women with gestational diabetes
- Foods that can be eaten by pregnant women with gestational diabetes
Medical Video: Gestational Diabetes: Managing Risk During and After Pregnancy Video - Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Gestational diabetes is a condition that increases blood sugar levels in pregnant women. This condition usually occurs during pregnancy, even though the sufferer did not have a history of diabetes beforehand. Gestational diabetes usually begins to appear at the end of pregnancy and can increase the risk of pre-eclampsia during late pregnancy.
Some things that can increase the risk of pregnancy are being overweight before pregnancy, family history of diabetes, or pregnancy at the age of 30 years. Usually, blood sugar levels will return to normal after giving birth. Even so, it still needs proper management of diabetes to avoid complications in the mother and fetus during pregnancy.
Control blood sugar levels in pregnant women with gestational diabetes
Exercise
Being physically active has been recognized as one way to control blood sugar levels. Plus, doing physical activity during pregnancy can also help pregnant women to undergo a more smooth delivery process.
When you are pregnant and have gestational diabetes, your doctor may recommend an added portion of exercise. You should first consult your doctor. The doctor will allow you to exercise if you and the fetus are in good condition.
Swimming and walking relaxed can be a good choice for pregnant women with gestational diabetes, because this type of exercise is a sport low impact. Do this exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
Exercise after you eat food to prevent hypoglycemia. You can also delay the time you eat snacks until after you exercise, to supply glucose back to the body. If it is past two hours from your last meal, you should eat snacks before starting exercise.
Check blood sugar levels
For diabetics, checking blood sugar is done to find out how successful the treatment has been given to diabetes suffered. Good control of diabetes will help you avoid complications and long-term health problems for you and your fetus.
For pregnant women with gestational diabetes, normal blood sugar levels are expected when checking fasting blood sugar levels and before meals are at 95 mg / dL. Meanwhile, blood sugar levels two hours after eating are said to be normal if the number is less than 120 mg / dL.
When you have gestational diabetes, make sure you check blood sugar before breakfast (fasting blood sugar) and every two hours after eating, to make sure that the treatment given works well.
Meal planning
As pregnant women without gestational diabetes, maintaining food has become an obligation to ensure that the children they contain get adequate nutrition. Especially if you have gestational diabetes. Planning for eating is absolutely necessary and can be even more stringent than if you don't have diabetes. Food restrictions, especially carbohydrates and sugar-containing foods and drinks must be carried out so that the gestational diabetes that is owned does not trigger other complications. But what remains to be remembered, do not let the intake you eat cannot fulfill the nutrition needed by the fetus.
You might be able to add snacks between your big meals. In addition to meeting your baby's nutritional needs, eating snacks that are safe for diabetics between meals can help control blood sugar levels.
Meal planning for pregnant women with gestational diabetes
It is very important for pregnant women with gestational diabetes to maintain their food intake. By keeping the food you consume and discipline in controlling blood sugar levels, it is not impossible that you will have a healthy normal pregnancy.
It's a good idea to limit fat consumption. The saturated fat that is allowed is only 10 percent of the total number of calories you have. Another thing that is not less important is the arrangement of meal times. Don't miss your meal time. You can eat three meals a day and snacks with a frequency of four to five times a day. However, remember to still pay attention to the nutritional level. Eat foods with a balanced nutritional content.
Foods that can be eaten by pregnant women with gestational diabetes
1. Carbohydrates
As an energy source, you need about 40 - 45 percent of carbohydrates from your total calorie needs. Eat carbohydrates derived from whole wheat, such as brown rice. Avoid eating foods that contain processed flour, such as fresh bread or noodles.
2. Protein
Choose sources of protein from meat, chicken and fish. But remember to only choose the meat. Do not consume the skin or fat contained in meat. Also consume eggs, nuts, soybeans, and tofu as a source of protein.
3. Fat
The good fats that you can consume are those from avocados, nuts, and olive oil. Avoid using butter (which comes from animal fat) and switch to vegetable oil or olive oil
4. Dairy products
Dairy products, like milk itself, cheese, yogurt, and butter you can consume. But make sure that what you consume is only low fat.
